Ford mocks Tesla after Elon Musk calls it 'a morgue'

Ford executives poked fun at Tesla's tent-covered assembly line and posted pictures of Ford vans and trucks used in Tesla's service fleet.

Tesla chief Elon Musk has sparked a Twitter skirmish with Ford executives after he disparaged the Blue Oval in a recent interview.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal about overcoming Model 3 production difficulties, the outspoken executive boasted of high morale at Tesla's factories despite the delays hitting production targets. To reinforce the point, he made a stark comparison to the mood at Ford's assembly plants.

"I think there's a good vibe — I think the energy is good; go to Ford, it looks like a morgue," he said.

Ford's vice president of communications, Mark Truby, issued a Twitter retort bashing Tesla's "makeshift tent" assembly line and pointing out that an F-150 rolls off the line in Dearborn "every 53 seconds."

Other Twitter users posted photos of Ford vans and pickup trucks adorned with official Tesla logos, highlighting vehicles that are apparently used in the California-based automaker's service fleet.